Combined ignition timer and coil



Nov. 7,- 1933. -rm 1,934,199

COMBINED IGNITION TIMER AND COIL Filed July 7, 1932 2 Sheets- Sheet l r! i L=J i 4 i l! lllll' J Jw/i YFwar/h ATTORNEY 1933- J. F. MARTIN COMBINED IGNITION TIMER AND COIL 'Filed July '7, 1932 ZSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 756/? FMar/xr;

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 7, 1933.

PATENT OFFICE COIVIBINED IGNITION. TIMER AND COIL John F. Martin, Springfield, Mass assignor to United American Bosch Corporation, Springfield, Mass, a corporation of New York Application July 7, 1932. 'Serial No. 621,215

15 Claims. (01. 123-148) This invention relates to improvements in timers; and especially a timer comprising a circuit interrupter and a distributor of high tension current for the ignition systems of internal combustion engines.

An object of the invention is to provide a timer adapted for use with battery ignition, and comprising not only a circuit interrupter and distributor but also an induction coil with high and low tension windings mounted upon the casing of the timer; so that the entire device can be made up in the form of a single unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a timer of this description that is compact and durable, inexpensive to produce, certain and efficient in operation and with all of its parts suitably housed and protected so that it is proof against damage and unlikely to get out of order.

The full advantages of the invention are set forth in the following description and a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the.

accompanying drawings. However, I reserve the right to make changes without departing from the principle of the invention or exceeding the scope and meanings of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

On the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a timer according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan thereof;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 shows a detail; M

Fig. 5 is a top view of the interrupter or circuit breaker in the casing; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail.

On the drawings, the same numerals indicate the same parts throughout.

The timer comprises a main casing 1 which is cup-shaped and preferably of metal closed at one end and opened at the other and secured at its open-end to a distributor head 2 which closes the casing 1. Affixed to the top of the distributor head is a metal housing 3 in the form of a cap which encloses the ignition coil; the latter having terminals which pass through the top of the distributor head to the movable electrodes of the interrupter and the distributor. The closed end of the housing has a boss 4 providing a bearing for a driving shaft 5 having a flange or driving collar 6.

Inside of the cap 3 is a magnetic core 7 surrounded by the secondary windings 8 of the coil. The primary winding 9 encircles the winding 8 and both windings 8 and 9 are disposed within a laminatedcylindrical shell 10 of magnetic. metal. which cooperates with the core 7. This core may be surrounded by a fiber sleeve 11. The core is engaged by a crown of porcelain 12 which has a central recess 13 to receive the upper end of the core and sleeve, and lies between the coils and the closed top of. the cap 3. The top of the head 2 inside of the cap 3 has a circular rib 14 on which the lower end of the secondary winding rests and at 15 is a ring which encircles the lower end 65. of the cap 3; the lower end of this ring being flanged over and embedded inthe insulation of which the distributor head is made. Preferably the lower end of the cap fits tightly within the ring 15, and is soldered thereto.

The shaft. 5 may have liners l6 inside of the bore 4 and fixed to the shaft inside of the housing 1 is a plate or transverse arm 17. forming partof a centrifugal governor. The innner end of the shaft 5 passes through the member 17 and carries a short tubular shaft 18 to the lower end of which is affixed a similar plate or'member 19. The weights of the governor are shown at 20, being connected to the member 17 and to the member 19 so that in response to speed conditions the shaft 18 can be angularly shifted with respect to the shaft 5. The inside of the housing has an annular shoulder 21 below its upper end, on which rests a timer plate 22 having an opening 23 through which the shaft 18 passes freely and the end of the shaft 5which receives the tubular shaft '18 may be'reduced as indicated at 24. This shaft 18 has a collar 25 which is slightly larger than the opening 23, so that it cannot pass through this opening.

On the shaft 18 above the timer plate 22 is a cam sleeve 26 which is held in place by a screw 27 entering the upper end of the cam sleeve and engaging threads, on the inside of the tubular shaft 18, the inside of the cam having a shoulder against which the head of screw 27 abuts to keep the cam sleeve inplace. This cam has a suitable number of projections and it operates the interrupter lever 28 which has an electrode on one end engaging a fixed contact 29 onthe plate 22. This contact is grounded by being connected to the plate 22 while the interrupter lever 28 is insulated from the plate 22. A spring 30 engages the interrupter lever at one end and at its other end it bears against arigid conductor 31 embedded in the distributor head 2 and projecting downward into'position. The spring 30 thus impels the interrupter lever 28 into engagement. with the fixed contact 29. The condenser 41 is connected to the terminal 32a of the primary coil 9, the other end being grounded. The interrupter lever 28 is pivoted on a stud 32 on the plate 22, but insulated therefrom by a sleeve 33.

On the top of the cam sleeve 26 and keyed thereon is the rotor of the distributor 34, made of insulation. Projecting from the inside face of the head 2 is a central boss supporting a fixed contact 35 connected by a wire embedded in the head 3 to one terminal of the secondary 8, the other terminal being grounded. This terminal or brush 35 rests upon a spring 36 which extends radially with respect to the axis of the shaft 5 and is secured near the outer edge of the rotor 34 by rivet 37. The same rivet attaches the distributor tongue 38 to the rotor 34 and at 39 are metallic bushings embedded in the side of the head 2 to which the high tension leads. for conducting current to the spark plugs are attached;

The inner end of these bushings form segments or terminals 40 through which the circuit is closed by the tongue 38 as it reaches each in turn.

The operation of the device will be readily understood because asthe shaft 5 rotates, the cam 26 will periodically break the primary circuit;

take place.

the casing 1 and supported by a suitable grounded clip 43. This condenser will be so connected to the primary and to ground as to bridge the interrupter lever 28 and contact 29.

The timer plate 22 is made shiftable in the housing 2 and it has projections44 which extend through an opening 45 in the rim of the casing 1. The projections 44 are engaged by a piece of metal 46 which is pivoted at 47 and has a transverse slot 48 for a screw 49 entering a hole 50 in the casing 1, so that it can be fixed inthe desired position. By loosening the screw 49 the plate 22 can be set' as desired.

The head 2 has a projection 51 which fits into the opening 45 and practically fills this opening to exclude dust from the entrance to this casing. Further, within the casing is a spring ring 52 which fits into an annular recess just above the plate 22 and hasits ends lying within the opening 45 to retain the plate 22 against the shoulder 21. The opposite sides of the rim of the casing 1 have projections 53 to which are pivotally secured retaining members 54 the upper ends of which 55 are bent to project into recesses provided in the tops of projections 56 on the side of the head 2. The members 54 are resilient and can be bent to disengage the ends 55 from the projections 56 so that the head can be detached from the casing. These members hold the head removably in place in the upper end of the casing. The insulated terminal of the condenser can be attached to the connecting element 31 by a conductor 57 also embedded in the head 2 and this terminal may have a screw 58 to secure said connection.

The pivot pins for the weights 20 are not shown and the plate 17 projects at 59 and at 60 are springs attached to these projections and studs 61 on the member 19. The member 19 also has studsor projections 62, engaging slots 63 in the weights 20, and the casing 1 has a drain hole 64.

It will be seen that the insulated pole of the condenser is joined directly to the primary coil by means of the strip 57 embedded in the head 2 and the condenser is secured to this strip by the binding nut 58 which clamps the strip to the condenser. The insulated terminal of the condenser may be in the form of a stud which passes through an opening in the strip 57 and is threaded at its end to receive the nut 58. The grounding clip 43 can be clamped between the casing l and the distributor head 2 as shown in Fig. 3.

To connect the battery to the timer the head 2 has a stud 65 embedded in one side and projecting to the exterior. This stud is connected by a conductor 66 to one terminal of the primary, the other terminal of the primary being joined at 32a to the conductor 31. The outer end of the stud 65 may receive a binding nut or cap 87 to hold the end of the battery conductor between it and a suitable flange 68 on the stud 65. The flange 69 may surround the nut 67 and the stud 65;

This invention having been described, what is claimed is;

1. A timer comprising a casing with a circuit breaker therein, a distributor head on the casing, a coil on the head, a cap for the coil, and a retaining ring secured to the cap and having one edge bent over and embedded in the head.

2. A timer comprising a casing with a distributor head thereon, a coil on the outside of the head, the latter having a circular rib engaging the lower end of the coil, a porcelain crown for the top of the coil and a metallic cap enclosing said coil and crown and engaging the head at its lower end.

3. A timer comprising a casing, a distributor head thereon, a coil on the outer face of said head, said coil comprisingan inner secondary and an outer primary with a central magnetic core, a laminated cylinder surrounding the coil and a cap for enveloping the coil and the cylinder and engaging the distributor head at its lower edge. a

4. A timer comprising a casing, adistributor head on the casing, the outer face of said'head having a circular rib, a coil comprising a primary and a secondary winding resting on said rib and having a central magnetic core, a laminated magnetic cylinder surrounding said coil and resting upon the outer face of said head, a crown having a central recess for the upper end of the core resting upon the top of the coil, and a metallic cover enveloping the coil and cylinder and having a ring surrounding its lower end and embedded in the distributor head to keep the cap in'place. T

5. A timer comprising acasing, a distributor head on the casing, a coil' on the distributor head, an interrupter within'the casing comprising a movable insulated lever, a rigid conductor embedded in the head and connected to the pri-' mary of the coil and projecting into the casing adjacent the lever anda spring secured to the interrupter lever and seated against the lower end of said conductor to connect the interrupter lever into circuit.

6. A timer comprising a casing, a plate movably mounted in thecasing, aninterrupter lever and a hired contact mounted on the plate, the plate having a projection passing through an opening in the casing on the outside thereof, and an adjusting device pivotally secured to the outside of the housing and movably engaging said projection to enable the plate to be shifted and secured in the desired position.

'7. A timer comprising a casing, a distributor head on the casing and an enclosed ignition coil on the distributor head, a condenser on the outside of the timer, a clamping device to affix the condenser to the distributor head, and a conducting strip connecting the insulated terminal of the condenser to one terminal of said coil.

8. A timer comprising a casing, a distributor head thereon, and an ignition coil mounted on the head, a condenser, a clamp afiixing the condenser to the outside of the head, a grounding clip connected to the condenser and clamped between the head and the casing and a conductor embedded in the head to connect the coil to the insulated terminal of the condenser.

9. A timer comprising a casing, a distributor head on the casing and an enclosed coil on the head, a condenser on the outside of the distributor head, a clamp afiixing the condenser to the head, said condenser having an insulated terminal, a conducting strip and a binding nut attaching the conducting strip to the terminal, said strip having one end embedded in the head to connect the condenser to the coil.

10. A timer comprising a casing, a distributor head on the casing, a coil on the distributor head, an interrupter carried by the casing comprising a movable insulated lever, a spring for holding the lever in closed circuit position and a rigid conductor embedded in the head and connected at one end to the coil, the other end forming a seat for the spring and a connection from the coil to the interrupter.

11. A timer comprising a casing with circuit making devices and a coil therein, a condenser on the exterior of the casing, said condenser having an exposed terminal for connection in circuit, means for supporting said condenser, and means for connecting the condenser to one terminal of said coil.

12. A timer comprising a casing, a distributor head thereon, an ignition coil mounted on the head, a condenser, a clamp affixing the condenser to the head, a grounding clip connected to the condenser and clamped between the head and the casing, and a conductor embedded in the head to connect the coil to the insulated terminal of the condenser.

13. A timer comprising a casing, a distributor head on the casing, and a coil on the head, a condenser on the distributor head, a clamp aifixing the condenser to the head, said condenser having an insulated terminal, a conducting strip and a binding nut attaching the conducting strip to the terminal, said strip having a part embedded in the head to connect the condenser to,

the coil.

14. A timer comprising a casing, an insulating distributor head on the casing, a condenser on the exterior of the timer, the latter also having bearing means for supporting the condenser thereon, and a conducting strip embedded in the casing and united to the insulated terminal of the condenser to connect the latter in circuit.

15. A timer comprising a casing with a circuit making and breaking device therein, a bearing clamp carried by the timer and a condenser supported thereby, an insulating distributor head associated with the casing, and a connection between said condenser and said circuit making and breaking device embedded in said head.

JOHN F. MARTIN. 

